Method of and apparatus for forming loops in flat knitting machines



Jam s, 1968 M Go. 3,362,195

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FORMING LOOPS IN FLATKNITTING MACHINES Filed July 28, 1964 4 SheetsSheet 1 Jan. 9, 1968 M. GOISIS METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING LOOPS IN FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllll IIL Jan. 9, 1968 M. GOISIS 3,362,195

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING LOOPS IN FLAT KNITTING MACHINES I Filed July 28, 1964 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 v //v/m /o M. GOISIS 3,362,195 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING LOOPS IN Jan. 9, 1968 FLAT KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 28, 1964 03 T 0 m6 3 n & m S B 3 a. 3 mm m m I J W I f? miml v l E v aw M f Q Q w Q E. a w k EN km 8 3 a 3 n F b a m I I m KIA- United States Patent Ofifice 3,362,195 IVIETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING LOOPS IN FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Mario Goisis, Collegno, Turin, Italy Filed July 28, 1964, Ser. No. 385,676 4 Claims. (Cl. 66-74) This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for forming loops in flat bed knitting machines of all types.

The system on which the present invention is based represents the simplest and at the same time best solution of the problems connected with automatic narrowing in flat bed knitting machines, the more so as it can be readily appliedto any type of such machines.

The system has many practical advantages because it eliminates the necessity of tension weights and also combs for holding the loop and also because it permits to increase the number of stitches and to vary the patterns. With this system, continuous operation can be attained in all types of flat knitting machines by using a pattern control means.

An essential feature of the system consists in replacing the fixed dividers between the individual needles by different ones which on their upper part, where the loop is formed, carry a movable metal divider element rotatable about a pin preferably extending over the whole length of the knitting head. This metal element comprises a stem and a head in one piece, and on its rear it carries a milled recess for receiving a V-spring. When a longitudinally movable carriage passes, the stem of each head is controlled by cams carried by the carriage itself and in the looping phase it alternately goes down and rises again so that while the needle catches with the loop and is just going to draw the thread supplied by the thread guide, the hookshaped head retains the cast oif loop of the needle, which is ascending, by a weigh function. Subsequently, the needle descends and when it is forming a new loop and casts off the previous one, the head rotates upwardly into a nearly erect position and takes the thread in the notch of the head assisting in casting off the preceding loop and forming a new stitch, and retains it then for the successive phase. The V-spring is to assist the heads in keeping uniformly erect when the carriage passes, i.e. in the thread holding position, without falling back upon being released by the cams of the carriage. V

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, the needle always remains in its operative position but with the butt in the upper section of the needle bed so that a cam track provided in this section will force the needle to slide longitudinally in the plane constituted by the needle bed, i.e. in the channel extending on the rear side of the lower needle bed section.

A jack controlling the oscillating movement of the tail of the needle has a single spherical lug which can be longitudinally displaced to be alternately received in two bearing notches provided in the lower section of the needle bed, thereby to permit also longitudinal oscillating movement of the jacks corresponding to narrowing and widening operations of the needles, which movement is controlled by a cam in two positions respectively related to narrowing and widening.

This cam is bolted in a hexagon and can be oscillated by means of a screw disposed on the same support so that the cam is made to alternately engage two tail butts of the jacks to shift them between the narrowing and widening positions.

Thus, the jack has only two positions, corresponding to medium and high. of the needle instead of the conventional four positons and notches in which the spherical lug of the sinker bar is displaced in the needle selecting 3,362,195 Patented Jan. 9, 1968 phases, the inoperative position corresponding to the first and the operative position to the second notch. In other words, the lug of the jack, relative to the corresponding bearing notch, can control two alternate positions of the needle butt, i.e. a position of medium projection and a position of full or high projection.

A trapezoid member, the minor sides of which are adapted to act obliquely on the jack butt when passing transversely in front thereof, forces the butt of the jack toward the needle bed to an extent sufficient to make the needle butt come out of the needle bed slot partly or fully and take its position of medium or high projection, respectively. In these conditions, the needle is constantly in its operative position but will not work until being operated by the jack. Consequently, selecting the needles for widening as well as for narrowing will be effected by the jacks without requiring any means for moving the needle into its inoperative and operative positions.

From this, the following advantages result:

.(1) When the needle is left in its operative position in a position of readiness i.e. without working, narrowing takes place.

(2) The time needed for narrowing is practically zero since it is effected inversely to increasing, i.e. by reversing the control earn.

(3) For needle selection, two series of jacks are provided,

either of which is mounted in a notch for rocking movement. However, the butt of one series is closer to this notch than the butt of the other series, i.e. either series of jacks has one butt only, the butts of the two series of jacks being differently spaced from the same notch.

(4) Each series of jacks is independently controlled by its associated actuator which can assume three positions. In the first position it exerts no pressure, in the second it presses half and in the third it presses fully. Accordingly, also the needle assumes three positions, viz. retracted into the slot of the needle bed, projecting half and projecting high, respectively.

Therefrom results the possibility of fashioning owing to the excess of material developing at the needles which remain in the operative position and retain the loop without forming new loops.

Moreover, an infinite number of pattern combinations are rendered possible in accordance with the infinite number of relative positions that can be realized between the jacks and the actuators. In Jacquard type machines, the characteristic alternating movement of the needle, i.e. of pushing and casting off the loop, is replaced by a semirotating movement pressing on the tail butt of the jack to obtain in an easier and faster manner the desired position of elevation of the needle butt from the upper section of the needle 'bed.

These and other specific features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are sectional end to end side views of the three aligned parts of a needle bed with needles, jacks, trapezoidal actuators and cams, and

FIG. 4 an axial view of a rotary control means for the actuator of the jacks,

FIG. 5 is a sectional side view showing the device in the position of FIGS. 1 to 3 on a reduced scale, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 and illustrating another position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a needle bed 10 having a lower section 11 and an upper section 12 accommodates a needle 13 provided with a needle butt 14 (FIG. 2) in a slot in the upper setcion 12. To make the needle butt 14 project in two different positions relative to the upper needle bed section 12, viz., a low and a high position respectively, a jack is arranged to slide longitudinally in the slot in the lower needle bed section 11. There are two series of jacks 15, one of which being provided with an upper butt 16 and the other with an upper butt 17 which are staggered (FIG. 3). Each series has two tail butts 18 and 19 which can be moved into respective positions 18' and 19 shown in broken lines by means of a cam 20, bolted in a hexagon 20'. The sinkers act with an engaging portion 15 (FIG. 2) on the underside of the needle 13 near the needle butt 14 to make the latter emerge from the upper needle bed section 12.

In the lower section 11 of the needle bed 10, two fulcrum notches 21 and 22 are provided, as can be seen from FIG. 2, to alternately receive the spherical lug 23, disposed on the underside of the first series of jacks 15 having the upper butt 16, during the longitudianl displacements of the jacks 15 under the control of cam 20 acting on the tail butts 18 and 19 of the jacks 15 for obtaining narrowing and widening of the knitted fabric. For keeping the needle 13 in the position in which the needle butt 14 remains within the slot of the needle bed 10 under the upper section 12 thereof, a trapezoidal abutment 24 is provided.

According to an important feature of the present invention, the dividers between adjacent needles are replaced by different ones carrying at their ends, where the loop is formed, a metal divider element 25 rotatable about a pin 26. This divider element 25 has hook-shaped head 25' and a stem 25" in one piece. A dove-tail guideway 27 secured to the carriage mounts fixedly connected cams 28 and 29 successively engaging stems 25, the former one for rotating the divider element 25 clockwise and the latter for rotating it upwardly counterclockwise during movement of a carriage carrying cams 28 and 29. To retain the element 25 in the position determined by the two cams 28 and 29 respectively, a leaf spring 30 engaging element 25 is attached to the lower section 11 of the needle bed 10 by means of a screw 31. On the rear, the head 25' has an indentation 32 for retaining the cast off loop, which replaces the conventional divider while a projection 33 is provided to control the types of loops formed on two needle beds.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, an actuator 34 having slides 34a, 34b is disposed to exert pressure on the upper butts 16 and 17 of the two series of jacks 15 to rock the same about the joints 23, 21 or 23, 22, thereby to control the position of needle butt 14. The rotary control means 35 is adapted to act on actuator 34 by cam lugs 36, 36, 36" and 36" corresponding to the different heights the needle butt 14 in intended to assume. A stepping motor 37 turns control means 35.

During operation, cam 20 places lugs 23 either in bearing notch 21 or in notch 22. Actuator 34 acts on lugs 16 and 17 to rock jacks 15 which engage needles 13 to raise butts 14 different distances out of the slots in which the butts 14 are located in the position shown in the drawmg.

When the needle 13 moves downward after catching a yarn, a new loop is formed and the old loop cast off and is engaged by notch 32 of divider element 25. During the rising of the needle, notch 32 retains the last formed loop.

Cams 27, 29 control the required movements of divider element 25.

In FIGS. 5 and 1, head 25 is disposed for catching the 5 loop, while in the position of FIG. 6, the divider 25 is not operative so that the needles operate without the dividers. Widening and narrowing are not influenced by the dividers. These operations depend on the control of jacks 15 by cam 20.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. In a fiat bed knitting machine having needles with butts located in slots, the improvement comprising two series of alternate first and second jacks acting on said needles, said first and second jacks having first and second lugs, respectively, for mounting said jacks for rocking movement in said slots, said first and second jacks having first and second butts, respectively, spaced different distances from said first and second lugs; and wherein said slots have two bearing notches for pivotally supporting said lugs so that said jacks are rockable to positions displacing said needles.

2. The improvement of claim 1 including means for shifting said jacks between positions in which said lugs are located in one or the other of said bearing notches.

3. The improvement of claim 1 comprising actuator means acting on said butts of said jacks for rocking the same so that said butts of said needles are moved partly or fully out of said slots.

4. The improvement of claim 1 comprising divider elements mounted on said machine between said needles for angular movement and having means for engaging loops formed by said needles; and cam means for moving said divider elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1961 Austria. 2/1896 Germany. 6/ 1961 Great Britain.

0 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A FLAT BED KNITTING MACHINE HAVING NEEDLE WITH BUTTS LOCATED IN SLOTS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING TWO SERIES OF ALTERNATE FIRST AND SECOND JACKS ACTING ON SAID NEEDLES, SAID FIRST AND SECOND JACKS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND LUGS, RESPECTIVELY, FOR MOUNTING SAID JACKS FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT IN SAID SLOTS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND JACKS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND BUTTS, RESPECTIVELY, SPACED DIFFERENT DISTANCES FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND LUGS; AND WHEREIN SAID SLOTS HAVE TWO BEARING NOTCHES FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID LUGS SO THAT SAID JACKS ARE ROCKABLE TO POSITIONS DISPLACING SAID NEEDLES. 